Daniel Feliciano

Thu 17 March 2022 21:47, UK

Everton stole a 1-0 win at Goodison Park against Newcastle thanks to a 99th minute winner from Alex Iwobi to send them three points clear of the relegation zone.

It was a fiery first half on the pitch and the crowd were lively, but it was a 45 minutes that lacked any clear goalscoring opportunities for either side.

The second half was halted temporarily by a protesting fan who tied himself to the goal post, in what was the most goal-mouth action we saw in the game.

Neither side really had any clear cut chances in the game until the 99th minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin found Alex Iwobi to slot into the corner for a huge winner.

There was big controversy in the game too as Allan was given a straight red card for bringing down Allan Saint-Maximin in the second half cynically to stop a counter attack. Initially given a yellow, a VAR review saw it upgraded to a red.

Here are the Goodison News player ratings for the game.

Asmir Begovic – 6/10

The Bosnian didn’t have much to do in just his second appearance in three years in the league. His distribution was safe and he communicated well with his defence, but ultimately it was a pretty easy night for him.

Seamus Coleman – 6/10

Started brightly and with plenty of energy. Made a huge tackle in the first half to deny Ryan Fraser, but as the game progressed we saw less and less of him and his influence dwindled. Didn’t have a bad game though.

Michael Keane – 8/10 (Man of the match)

Back in the side after a shocker against Spurs but looked much more composed and solid than he has been. He won more headers than any other Everton player on the night and the clean sheet was huge.

Mason Holgate – 5/10

Had a decent game in the defence but was sloppy in possession and struggled to build attacks from the back. Encouraging performance from him but definitely could have been better.

Ben Godfrey – 6/10

Moved back out to his unnatural left-back position from earlier in the season and was solid once again. Struggled to build attacks because of being on his weaker foot a lot, but overall a very good performance.

Allan – 3/10

Had a great game before a red card that never was. But whether it was the right or wrong decision, it cost the team big time on the night and could be huge for the remainder of their season.

Abdoulaye Doucoure – 5/10

In the midfield for legs but beyond the halfway line was just running around not doing much. Didn’t break lines with his passing nearly enough, and while he pressed well I don’t think he will be too happy with his performance.

Anthony Gordon – 7/10

The kid gave it everything and was really feeding off the crowd in this game, but his final product let him down. He worked incredibly hard throughout the 90 minutes and almost won a penalty late on, but he was just lacking some quality.

Alex Iwobi – 7/10

The Nigerian was a shock inclusion in the starting lineup and it’s not a surprise he wasn’t expected, but it’s his goal that may be the saving grace for Everton’s season. He never stopped running, even when down to ten men, and took his goal brilliantly.

Demarai Gray – 5/10

One of Everton’s players of the season hasn’t been the same since Lampard arrived and it was the same again tonight. His passing was sloppy, he never really got a run at the defence and overall was just quiet.

Richarlison – 7/10

Nobody can accuse Richarlison of not caring about Everton’s future because at points tonight it’s like he was playing on his own. Constantly pressing, chasing loose passes, dribbling and got kicked from pillar to post before eventually limping off. Unlucky.

Substitutes

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 6/10

Came on moments before the red card and had an immediate effect on the game without ever touching the ball, then got the key assist for the winning goal. Everton are so, so much better with him on the pitch.

Andre Gomes – 5/10

Brought on after the red card and filled in well, but didn’t have too much to do and didn’t get a chance to affect the game positively going forward for the Toffees.

In other Everton news, ‘Brilliant’ – Alan Shearer praises Everton ace live-on-air for what he did v Newcastle